Harry Mann resigns as Information Commissioner, to join Congress

CHANDIGARH, February 5: Harinder Pal Singh Harry Mann, who resigned who today resigned as Punjab Information Commissioner, is likely to return to the Congress. The second leader who is learnt to be joining the Congress is Deepinder Singh Dhillon.

Both of them had joined the Akali Dal from the Congress.

It may be mentioned that Dhillon, a close confidant of Preneet Kaur, wife of state Congress chief capt Amarinder Singh, had left the Congress after denial of ticket in the last Assembly election.

In his letter to the Governor, Harry Mann said, “due to some personal reasons, I find myself unable to continue to work as State Information Commissioner and hence I submit my resignation from the post w.e.f Tuesday, i,e February 9, 2016”.

Mann had been appointed State Information Commissioner on February 14, 2012 and served on this post for a period of four years.

He is a prominent political figure of the Malwa region in Punjab. Before his nomination to the post, he was appointed as Vice President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) when Sukhbir Badal was elected for the first time as the president of the Akali Dal.

Earlier he served in various capacities in the Punjab Youth Congress and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He was appointed general secretary of the PYC from 1980 to 1985 by late Rajiv Gandhi when Partap Singh Bajwa was the PYC president.

He served as the president District Congress Committee Patiala Rural between 1995 and 1997 when late Beant Singh was the Chief Minister of Punjab. He was appointed chairman of the Kisan Cell of the PCC by Capt Amarinder Singh in 1998.

Mann represented India as member of the official delegation of the World Youth Festival held at Moscow in 1985. He represented Punjab Lawyers delegation to condemn the US Arms supply to Pakistan in Mumbai in 1980.

He has served as the Secretary of the PCC when Shamsher Singh Dullo was PCC president.